Quantitive Research for Games Across Two Consoles This type of research is known as Quantitive research. The aim is to explore the relationship between variables as defined in a question, theory, or hypothesis. Variables can be: 1. Independent – Directly controlled by the researcher 2. Dependant – Directly affected by the independent variable 3. Extraneous – Outside variables that are not required by the researcher and impact the relationship between other variables In the the video games industry, the question could be: -
What console is more popular, Xbox 1 or PS4?
My variables here are: -
Independent – Game Title Dependant – Game sales on each console
By changing what game I want to compare I affect the overall sales on that console. I collected the sales statistics of 5 different popular games available on these consoles, and complied them into a table and a bar chart to make the differences easier to understand.
Game Title Battlefield 4 Wolfenstein: The New Order Call of Duty: Ghosts FIFA 2015 Destiny Total Sales: Source: http://www.vgchartz.com
Xbox 1 Global Sales 1,770,000 550,000 2,490,000 1,950,000 2,870,000
PlayStation 4 Global Sales 2,790,000 1,360,000 3,120,000 6,330,000 5,080,000
9,630,000
18,680,000
The table above shows the sales for each game on the respective console, and the overall sales for all the games combined on the console. The result here shows that the overall sales for the PlayStation 4 are twice that of the Xbox 1, with each game selling more on the PlayStation 4.
Xbox 1 vs PS4 Global sales (June 2015) 7,000,000 6,000,000 5,000,000 4,000,000
3,000,000 2,000,000 1,000,000 0 Battlefield 4
Wolfenstein: The Call of Duty: Ghosts New Order Xbox 1 Sales
FIFA 15
Destiny
PS4 Sales
The bar chart shows us a visual breakdown of the sales of each game on each console. The result is still the same, but gives us an instant look at how the results look.
A summary of this research would show that, in conclusion, that the PlayStation 4 is the much preferred console for popular games at the current time. In some cases the PS4 sales are twice that of the Xbox 1, despite being the same game. A studio conducting research into what console could use this data to determine the best console for maximum sales.
Other types of Qualititive research a game studio could use when designing their game could be: -
What is the most popular genre on each console? What age groups play the most on each console? What genres does X age group play?
Each helps to identify a trend and determine the course of the production of the next upcoming game.
Qualititive Research on Game Feedback This type of research is known of Qualititive research. For the video game industry this can include: -
Reviews from independent magazines or websites Fan reviews on blogs Player opinions collected from interviews and group discussions
The data collected is subjective and relative to the source it is collected from, and is not absolute fact unlike Quantitive research data. This could be opinions such as “This game sucks” or “Good but lacks progression options”. Once collected, this data, often in large volumes as to establish a good working base, can then be sorted out and divided into overall themes which will tell the researcher what the attitude towards the chosen subject will be. For example: -
Opinions and feedback from a previous game is collected It is processed and several arching themes are identified (“Too long”, “Needs better graphics”) The Studio now has subjective data to incorporate into their pre-production process to better tailor the game to their audience.
For this research I shall ask: -
What do players most and least enjoy about...
This will involve me taking quotes from 2 different reviews on internet sites and trying to establish themes between them.
Sources: 1. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews 2. http://www.metacritic.com
Game Title Battlefield 4
FIFA 15
Destiny
Gamespot Review "Battlefield 4 multiplayer is a thrilling endeavour in this generation or the next"
Metacritic Review "Awesome graphics, awesome multiplayer, great performance."
"Though the campaign makes strides in the right direction, it remains a sideshow to the main event" "Focus on attacking play makes for great online matches"
"...the campaign is a total disappointment."
"Emphasis on exciting football could limit long-term depth" "excels in the basics"
" the crowd and atmosphere is as good as you can get" "suffers from poor gameplay and terrible AI." "Videogame worlds are rarely this rich and addictive"
"lacks creativity and heart"
Call of Duty: Ghosts
Wolfenstein: The New Order
" A campaign driven by excellent pacing and varied encounters" " Story is functional at best" "excellent gameplay with great gunplay"
"even on the hardest difficulty it's a pretty easy game."
"In its current state, Destiny feels unfinished and unfocused" "tremendously fun to play with your friends" "Call of Duty is a series that's getting stagnant" " an interesting plot, a caricature side and very oldschool gameplay" " The New Order has many graphical, texture and antialiasing problems"
Looking at the table above, we can find that the most reoccurring themes are:
Multiplayer Campaigns Plot and storytelling
This research could be taken into more in depth study of these particular areas to provide a detailed analysis for game studios looking for key strengths to follow and pitfalls to avoid when designing their game.